Contest #34: Win a Ice Light (a $600 Value!)

The Challenge

This week, we want to know where you would put an Ice Light if you owned one? These portable Ice Lights will fit in some of the tightest spaces, how would you use it? We will pick a random winner out of this group, one entry per person. (no photo necessary to enter this contest)

The Prize

This weeks prize is the Ice Light, which was recently awarded a HOT ONE AWARD by Professional Photographer magazine for the Continuous Light Category!. Along with this light, you will be presented with a Golden Ticket, which enters you into the year end raffle to win $15,000 in Westcott gear!

The Inspiration

Our Top Pro Elite photographer Rick Sammon uses the Ice Light to create a beautiful portrait in the tight confines of a car. The Ice Light provides an adjustable, daylight balanced color temperature, that can be hidden nearly anywhere.

99 Responses to Contest #34: Win a Ice Light (a $600 Value!)

I would love to use this light shooting pets and children. I know this would add another dimension to my work. I can see laying the Ice Light under the fold of a blanket in front or side of the subject. I believe the animals would not be freaked out by the size and cool light, Thanks for the opportunity to enter.

I think this has been given away already, but for the sake of answering…

The answer would be, where wouldn’t you use it? I am an avid sports photographer moving into the scary world of portraits and boudoir. After watching videos over and over online of the young lady using this for fill and the video with this in the car – it’s awe inspiring. This really is the future of lighting as we know it. Cool led’s, beautiful consistent light.. Enough said… or is it?

I can use this on the football field as well during interviews or where I need fill light for a cheerleader. And it’s going to be invaluable to use in studio. I would tie it in with use of strobes, beauty dish, etc… Ah! I wish I would have caught this contest sooner.

I would put this cool stick of ice in my camera bag for use wherever I go. Obviously it would be fantastic to light up the inside of a car, or under the hood to capture a powerful engine. Or on location at an abandoned building, or on location anywhere (no cords), at home in my little studio. Heck, I think it would be awesome anywhere and almost whenever you wanted that extra fill or needed a cordless daylight balanced light. I LOVE IT!

I am so excited about this Ice Light. Everything Westcott creates has proven to be outstanding and this light is no exception. Light in tight areas is so often an issue and one that I have all the time. Many of my photos are just not what they could be causing more time in post processing and sometimes I’m just not happy with the results at all. Give me an Ice Light and I know I can produce a cool and refreshing new look to my photographs.

I would literally bring this everywhere! I’ve dreamed for so long of having an ice light by my side. For a wedding photographer this beauty is a must for the hustle and bustle of a busy day. Fumbling with lighting equipment can be slow but not with one of these. Praying to have one someday

I’d use the ice light for outdoor portraiture mixing ambient light & ice light for striking portraiture. It’s a fantastic quality of light yet easy to carry & have on a stand without worrying the wind is going to take it away!

I specialize in Boudoir photography, both indoors and outdoors. When I’m scouting for natural light, I often find it in a tight spot. It could be either from a window by a bed in a hotel room or on a rocky embankment at a beach. The Ice Light would work perfect for me in these situations because of it’s size and portability.

I’ve added an image here with one window light on left as the main. I love this image as is, but it would have a totally different look if I had an Ice Light handy! I couldn’t add another light because there was no room for my bulky strobe set up {which I no longer own because of said bulk}.

I do a lot of on location, often in homes with very limited space available (hallways, bathrooms, etc.). I also include close up “detail” shots of items of sentimental value for those portrait clients. The Icelight would be perfect for all of this.

I’d use the light with a dark background for interviewing and photographing local people who work for non-profit organizations who need photos and video content for web use. This product would make for insanely easy set-up and strike of these scenarios and greatly improve production value and viewability.

I shoot a lot of wedding video and photography and the Ice Light would be perfect to use in many situations, family and friend interviews, macro detail shots, the getting ready moments in the small hotel room or salon. Creatively I would leverage the Ice Light to do some awesome light painting shots with the bride and groom. In my eyes you really can’t make a better light for light painting!

I’m a medical photographer and often find myself in small spaces where it’s difficult to use off-camera flashes — operating rooms, labs, and exam rooms. I’ve had an idea for an interesting environmental potrait for a while — but not quite had the ability to pull it off. I think an Ice Light would be perfect for it. I would like to make an environmental portrait of someone in a lab working with cell culture in what’s called a “hood,” a large enclosure where there is negative air flow so fumes are sucked through filtration rather than flowing into the lab. I would place a remote camera mounted on a very small tabletop tripod inside the hood shooting back towards the lab technician. This angle would allow me to capture the hands working, the environment, and the person — all from a very unique perspective. I think the Ice Light would be a great addition to add some accent light. I could trigger the camera while holding the light just out of frame.

The Westcott Ice Light is an amazing tool for long exposure photography at night. I would love to have one to use for light painting and light sculpting! If I won an Ice Light, I would cover the bar in colored gels and create abstract photographs drawing in the air with it. I use that technique with flash lights now, but you are limited to just a small beam… Imagine an entire bar of light! I would also use it for light sculpting to illuminate the foreground in wide starry landscapes at night. The wide sweep of light, but slim profile allows you to get into tight spots and evenly light a scene.There are so many possibilities that I would love to explore! When not in use, I would strap the light into my backpack where the tripod goes. I bet it would fit perfectly!

Among plenty of other spaces, I think an ice light would be perfect for shooting intimate portraits in cars. Some of my favorite photos of my friends have been in a car on our way somewhere, & an ice light would be stellar for its size & portability.

I do a lot of macro photography and would love a light I could use in the dark recesses of a garden, behind plants, in trees, in my basement studio…as well as a great light to use on location portraits.

I’m doing a lot of work with dementia patients and their families, capturing generational imagery that the families can hold to as the elder declines and other memories are lost. I’m currently using a Westcott Apollo as a main lighting source (these are often in aged-care homes) and this can concern the patients – it appears big and a bit imposing for some people.

I’d get brilliant use out of the Icelight, using it in place of the Apollo as it would to the job wonderfully but be less imposing, and therefore less distracting, to the generations that I’m photographing. It’s portability would mean I can get into and back out of these facilities with the minimum of fuss.

The Westcott Ice Light would be perfect to do a close-up B&W portrait, old Hollywood glamour style. Back in the days of George Hurrell, the emphasis was on the flawless face. The Ice Light could provide that perfect lighting for this type of portrait.

To establish the base or gesso light level I’d use a beauty dish suspended from a boom at the camera’s position. The beauty dish will be positioned at 35 degrees to the left of the two models, one male, one female sitting at a concert-sized piano.

The male model with his hands just above the keys will look down with a slight cheat towards an 85mm prime camera lens. The piano will be at a 25 degree angle to the camera position. The female would have one bent arm on the top of the piano and be leaning forward so she is slightly in front of the piano player, her eyes looking towards him.

The ice light would be positioned, and hopefully hidden, on the opposite side of the models from the main light and below the models to serve as a rim light angled up. I anticipate the rim to be one stop above the main light.

Finally, depending on the spread of the ice light, I might suspend a strip mirror or two with fishing line to perhaps get some spectral kicks on the piano from the ice light.

In an ideal world the piano and models will be in limbo with no discernible background. The final image will be B&W.

The camera will be a D800 or F100 loaded with high contrast film similar to Tri-X.

There is an old phone booth (circa 1940’s) in a train station in the city I live in and I would like to do a film noir style shoot with a female model sitting in the phone booth and the ice light would work perfect for this situation instead of my speedlights.

Living in tourist-centered city like Las Vegas, if I am out in an urban shoot, many times I need an easy portable light source that I can turn on for a quick fill light without having to set up tripods, reflectors, or soft boxes before swarms of people get in the away or “photo bomb” my shot. The Ice Light would be perfect for such occasions, and hey, it would easily fit in among the other neon lights here as well.

Most of my work is commercial photography, so this is a difficult question to answer. BUT… I’ll do my best.

In a commercial airplane bathroom.
In the trunk of a Mini Cooper.
In a college dorm room.
In a little person’s closet (I assume they’re smaller).
In an elevator.
In my first office.
In my first house.
In the space between a blink and a tear.
In the area of my first wife’s brain that contains sanity.
In the area of my second wife’s brain that contains intelligence.
In the area of my third wife’s… I’m just kidding I’ve only been married once.
In the pants I wore in high school.
In the federal budget.
In any of Kim Kardashian’s outfits.

I shoot a lot of bands, and one thing I’ve had a lot of trouble with in the past is capturing energy in a sound booth. Speedlights work well size-wise, but don’t usually create the subdued mood and drama I’m looking for. Not using lighting makes the shot look flat and uninteresting. I had the chance to test the Ice Light during Erik Valind’s section at PCU’s weekend retreat in March and realized instantly this was the kind of light I was looking for. In addition, I’ve been working on an art series using plastic toys and mirrors. Most of the shots I have I’ve accomplished through weird lighting (glow sticks, balloons used to disperse and diffuse flashlight light, etc etc). I think the Ice Light would be a fantastic light to give me a new lighting perspective for this series as well.

I would never leave my house without taking the Ice Light with me. My wife assists me all the time with photo shoots and we would absolutely love one for its versatility so she wouldn’t have to hold so much heavy gear when we are out on location. Where we live there are beautiful sunsets almost every evening, which is a great time for us to shoot engagement photos. The Ice Light would be perfect to use for these situations because I could easily balance the perfect light on my couples with the light in the background without any guessing like with flashes or strobes. It’s “what you see is what you get”. The Ice Light would be perfect for getting that flattering Rembrandt lighting that I love and strive for.

Where WOULDN’T I use it?! As a night photographer specializing in light painting, I would love to use an Ice Light to add a quality and truly unique character of light to my photos. The Ice Light’s power and portability would be perfect for my style of shooting! From remote outdoor shoots in the middle of the desert using battery power to much longer indoor shoots with vehicles while connected to AC, the Ice Light’s portability and beautiful wrap-around quality would truly open my creative possibilities.

I would use it as a portrait fill light for outdoor and window portraits in place of or in addition to a reflector. At times, I might place it on the floor for a bit of fill on my subject when creating environmental portraits.

I would use it as a fill light, or a hair light just off camera. Or, use it to add some light to macro photography. I would use it as a background light to add a little halo of light against the backdrop.

Q: Where would I put an Ice Light if I owned one?
A: I’d put it in my gear bag and take it with me everywhere. I’d use it for as a fill light, I’d use it for a rim light and I’d use it for a key light. I’d even use it as a flash light. It would be with me at all times as it can fulfill all sorts of roles.

I would use the Ice Light to make some very intimate head shots. I would like very dimly lit (possibly by candles) room and just use the Ice Light to cast some light on the subjects face. I would love to shoot it with my 5D3 and 50 1.2L

I would use the ICE Light for an engagement portrait. A nice dark cool vibe restaurant with an edison bare bulb light above the table. Fill the frame with beautiful bride to be looking into the eyes of her betrothed, but the frame doesn’t capture his face it only reflects his manicured hands extending an engagement ring. ICE lights above and front left of subject.

Oh the places we’ll go Primarily though it will join my kit for portrait shoots. This shot was taken on a Nikon D7000 24-70 f2.8 with a Nikon SB910 in a Westcott Apollo Orb. If I had an ice light at this shoot I would’ve used it to achieve a little more separation between the subject & the background-popping the hair a bit more.

I do a lot of real estate interiors and the ice light is ideal for fitting into those tight spaces that i ordinarily have to try to light with a small flash of some sort. corners, under cabinets, behind cushions etc.

This light is handy for many different applications. One way I would use the Ice light would be for quick product shots (e.g. rings, food, details). Aside from using it professionally.. I can even use this to get all fancy for my instagram food photos

The question is where wouldn’t I use it? I would use it as a backlight for portraits, maybe attach it to the inside of a jungle gym to get action shots of kids playing, use it for reflective surfaces when softboxes just won’t cut it, use it to illuminate dark alcoves in buildings on city shoots, etc. It would be a staple in my camera bag!

I would go in my dad’s tight jeweler work space and photograph him working. I can use an ice light in tight unconventional places where a flash would over power the ambient light. Being an environmental portrait photographer, its important to maintain the natural light. I believe the ice light can light my subject while maintaining the ambient tones.

The Ice light is another wonderful & efficient gear designed by Westcott. A top 5 on my list to buy. because of its light weight, I can put this on any of my Roller bags when I want to do an outdoor shoot. Ice light is great for outdoor portraiture because of its efficiency to illuminate creatively any subject. Since its battery operated, it can easily be ready to use anytime anywhere. Ice light is a must in Photographer’s gear list.

Living in Alaska, an ice light would be an amazing light to have & use! Where would I use it? ANYWHERE! Alaska might have a few months of constant light, but those months don’t offer great light. And the other months its dark & any portable light is a necessity!

The light painting … this is one of the arias I would love to use the ice light for to fulfill the painting over the large objects with even and dimable light. I believe the ice light will open so many possibilities for great composites.

I am both a photographer and film maker. My current project is a horror based music video and I would love an ice light or two so that I can accent light the actor’s face from without flooding the entire set with light.

I love travel photography, but lighting conditions are frequently less than optimal. For example, I would have used the Ice light to quickly take pictures in the poorly lit alcove of the Greek Orthodox cathedral before the caretender shouted ‘No Picture!’. (Our photographer guide said the caretaker changes her mind from day to day regarding pictures) Nothing announces a picture more than a blinding flash of light; The continuous light from the ice light would have been less noticeable in the busy space, allowing me to grab some breathtaking photos.

I used a Nikon D700 set to manual on a 10 second timer. ISO200 with a Nikon 85mm set at f3.6 at 1/60.
I use the same set up as Jim Schmelzer did in the video. I used a 24×32 Westcott soft box with a stroblite set at a ¼ power and it was held up by a Westcott boom arm and weighted stand. On camera left I used the 30” reflector from the 4and 1illuminator kit which was held in place with the illuminator reflector arm and a Westcott stand.
I wanted to keep the aperture open as wide as possible for the softer look. I was going for the look of the old style black and white.
I don’t’ own a grid for the soft box yet so I put a black sheer patterned Shaw over it and then to keep the hot spot off my forehead I put a dark tee shirt across the top of the soft box.

Let’s see… I like to shoot close in, so I’d probably hold it just under or above the camera while I shoot. Heck – I might even hang it around my neck for some really interesting fill on hand-held macro shots.

I’d also love to put it inside certain costumes for a ‘breaking out’ effect, behind people’s heads for edge lighting, and with animals where flash is not a good idea.

Then there are the possibilities for setting environmental lights for really moody scenes where a softbox just wouldn’t fit, like underlighting for a dinner table or behind a prop to bathe a wall for a silhouette.

You know… you shouldn’t ask for how we’d use such a thing. The mind runs wild with possibility, and I can’t write fast enough to capture all the ideas!

I often do commercial photography and have very little space to maneuver in the employees space while they are working. An ice light would be a wonderful addition allowing me to squish myself and my equipment in to all those teeny spaces.

There are so many uses for this kind of light. For me this would be a fast and portable light that gives me instant feedback. I can see the light which would make the setup and capture quick. It would give me the ability to really get in and out quickly. It would be awesome to be walking through and area pop out the light and take the photo all with out fumbling around with flash settings and moving the flash around to get the photo right. Dark and dramatic images are what i favor and i could get these quickly while wandering around abandoned areas using this light.

I photograph people. Seniors and couples on location and hauling around a lighting kit is simply not an option for most shoots. On camera flash is unflattering and most of the time I spend a lot of time finding the perfect light. I’d love to have one of these to attach to my ThinkTank Restrospective shoulder bag. It would be easy to use as a fill light for portrait shoots. I’d also like to do some night photography portraits and use this to paint with light. As a light wand, it seems perfectly suited for this purpose. So my answer is my camera bag. The creative potential in such a portable, daylight balanced light source is inspiring!

The Ice Light would be great to use in portrait situation where flash is not convenient, or potentially detrimental to the situation. This could be anything from portraits of babies, pets, and people extra sensitive to bright flashes. It would be a great light source without the harshness of flash. I’m sure I could think of many more uses once I get a chance to try it out.

I find myself doing a lot of night shoots. The Ice Light would be a great fill light, where the flash is just too harsh and doesn’t look natural. It is the natural-esque, soft light qualities of the Ice Light that would really allow me to play with the shadows around the face, for dimly-lit night portraits. It would especially come in handy when I want to highlight a subject in the foreground and the far background is lit separately.

I’d put it in my back pocket! Seriously it would go everywhere with me. A little handy dandy light with me all the time would help me take my clients family portraits from cute to wow! Of course I’d have to keep a close eye on it, because my sons would think it was a light saber.

An ice light would be killer for wedding details, close ups of reception details etc! I shoot pretty tight so an ice light would be small and portable enough for me to add to my gear but powerful enough to get the job done! Now if I could only get an autographed one

I’d have fun using Ice Lights for little Jedi knights trick-or-treating, or capturing the glow of candy treasure on the faces of some tiny Jack Sparrows.
No matter how you use them, Ice Lights are a treat for photographers. : )

I like to shoot cosplay at conventions. Carrying around a light stand, pokey, fragile umbrellas, etc is really not reasonable. The Ice Light would mean being able to do creative lighting without risking eyeballs and damage to equipment.

With the portability of the Ice Light, I’d place one in the hands of a snowboarder or skier during a night-time shoot, and take some shots of the subject pulling a few tricks off some big kickers!
I think that with a long exposure, and with the help of a handful of strategically placed extra speedlights to help freeze the action at certain intervals during each jump, it would make for some very interesting shots that would help highlight the flow and acrobatic motion as the snowboarder or skier glides through the air.

The Ice Light looks like the perfect lighting solution to just about any situation. Maybe little Jedi knights trick-or-treating this Halloween? Or imagine the glow of the candy treasure on the face of a mini Jack Sparrow. How fun!

What wouldn’t I do with an Ice Light! I do a lot of cave exploration where typical light sets ups are not possible. Sometimes due to the narrowness of the caves and others because of how fragile the ecosystems are. Last thing I want to do is take out a 300 million old formation to get a shot. Sure I’d also use them for the more typical situations. Portraits, shooting in low light places. I love old barns and abandoned structures. Most of these areas are cumbersome to get to and have no power. Being a disabled vet the less I can pack the better. I can think of a million and one ways to use it. Now I’m not going to get to sleep tonight!

When I have my Ice Light!
I just want to do portraits, probably more fashion oriented but also because I enjoy weddings a lot, I would like to concentrate more in getting this connection trough the expression. I would love to practice more just the bride or the groom by themselves.
An other idea that I have is this one:
I would like to do a set of expressions, the frame will be fill with the face and the only part of the body that would be illuminate will be the face, I am still debating it all the expressions will be from one person or different people.
I also want to wear the Ice light as Jeffry does, it looks like the star wars swore!

I feel like there’s so many ways I could use the Ice light! It would be nice to use on location as a fill especially for under trees. I’ve been doing a Warrior set of photos in the last year, editorial based photos of girls dressed as different kind of warriors whether it be Amazon, Indian, gladiator or even an elf from Lord of The Rings. I do these outside because that’s the light I prefer, but it would be nice to have the Ice Light to give a nice look on their faces for those pesky shadows that trees create. It would also be great for portraits in locker rooms of Athletes.

Wow, a portable solution would be excellent. I shoot a lot of hockey portraits on the ice. Dragging cords and finding outlets is cumbersome at times. This light would be a great addition to my toolbox.

As as wedding photographer I am following the Icelights creator´s work Jerry. I am always amazed about the quality of light which turns out soft and beautiful on the subjects. I am now using a videolight but when it comes to quality of light it seems the big surface of the Icelight can´t be beaten. I would be delighted to have this tool in my bag, especially for the nice closeup portraits or even in dim areas where drama is needed.

At the moment the invest for this piece of gear is still some miles away, so if I would have the chance to call this mine, the stage for a second one would be set which makes the game being even more fun 8)

Attached is a shot with my cheap videolight. The last shot of the day. I have to cope with color temperature as it tends to shift with each setting.

I shoot a lot of portraits in my home with 3 constant burning tungsten lights which get very hot and make me nervous if one of my 7 children come up to me when I’m using them. I also do not have an abundance of room in my home! These would be the perfect for the type of work that I do! I also do a lot of photography outdoors and these would help tremendously with that as well! I can think of so many uses for these lights! Wish I would’ve come up with the idea!!

I shoot a lot of product and still life photos. Generally when I go to a location shoot, I lug either a bunch of large hot (CFL) lights or if my gear is getting the best of me, I’ll bring speedlites to lighten the load. While the larger CFLs are ideal, they can be cumbersome and I have to run power to them all. Speedlites are compact and manageable, but there’s no modeling or reference of light/shadow until after the shot. (Ie. shoot, adjust, shoot adjust)

The ice light would solve ALL of these problems for me. I could travel light and compact, not worry about power cords everywhere and see exactly where my light and shadows fall before I even touch my camera!

I would love to have the opportunity to photograph the cockpits of vintage aircraft. This tool would allow me the flexibility to capture a host of interiors. This is a shot from Jacqueline Cochran Beechcraft 18 we are restoring at Tarrant County Community Collage. I have some great Ideas to shoot when we finish and this light would help with the creative process.

I wanted to show the fine craftsmanship and beauty that went into this watch. The beauty of the box that the watch came in as well. I used two DIY snoots on the Sb-800’s to control the light output and direct the light where I wanted it and the falloff to start.

Taken with a Nikon D-80 lens Nikon 55.0-200.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Camera setting: 1/250 sec @ f/9 ISO 100
Flash 2-Sb-800 Flashes one behind Watch to light inner area of watch and one for fill. One space blanket as a reflector. Both Sb-800’s were fired using Radio Poppers Jrx units. So, I could dial in the power of the lights.

I need an Ice Light for my video work.
I shoot testimonials for new products and securing a professional look is important to establishing credibility with our target customers. The light will help complete the lighting job!

I love shooting weddings at night. The ice light is absolutely perfect in capturing that intimate moment between a bride and groom. It would make life so much easier! I can see using it with the night time lights, indoors in low light, in cramped places…….the list goes on and on.

Where I would use the Ice Light? I love shooting horror themed shoots and trying to get the models to show true fear. If I had the Ice Light I would use it on location in the woods or a darkened cave just to kick enough light to show the fear on the models face. With the small size it would be easy to put the light anywhere from down low in a bush or up in the trees shining down on the Would Be Victim.

I have been doing a series of dancers in motion. It is captured with a long exposure and a combination of led and strobe lights. The LED lights capture the motion and a carefully timed strobe captures a solid image of the dancer in full pose. The Ice light will make this process more effective and produce better results. Attached is an example and here is a link to the full set. http://www.flickr.com/photos/richjohnsonphoto/sets/72157633580342488/

Wow, this light looks like it would be great for my upcoming gymnastic shoot and martial arts shoots that my daughters participate in. I’d like to use it to cast a light across their eyes or side light their bodies as they jump and tumble through the air.

Or place it under or behind the beam to give some up light from underneath them. Or stick it to the back of a sword and take a close up shot and having the light show on my daughters face.

Oh, How I would love an Ice Light!!! Got to see it in action at the photo pro expo 2013 in Kentucky.. It would be great for a lot of things. Model shoots, weddings, seniors and babies. I would also like to do some shoots in some of the old barns in the area. Too many ways to use it! I would love to try it in all these situations ..

If I had an Icelight, I would need a second one…
I’d like to shoot on the dark, tight spiral stairs of a tower, and in such a setting, the Icelight would be brilliant! Shooting from above, walls to my right, subject looking up, I’d use one lower and somehow in front of the subject, to illuminate a bit of the path ahead and shape the subject, and one up, as coming from the wall, directed towards the face.

I will be doing a model photo shoot in an old a banded But safe barn as it is super dark inside the Ice light would be a great thing to use. the model could hold the light for some shots I bet. could work out great.

I will be shooting a small independent movie on a DSLR later this year. We will be in a very tight space and shooting with a very wide lens. The Ice lights would be perfect for generating little fills here and there since they are easy to hide.

I would like to set up a shot with a slightly gothic feel to it. i have a wooded area behind my house and i would love to use this light down there, with my model wearing a hooded cape. the light would add drama and mood to the shot.

I would love to shoot a 50’s style pin up shoot of a beautiful woman on her back as a grease monkey rolling out from under a car, I’d put the ice light under the car pointed down at her face gelled cto orange to add a bit of mood along with the period costuming. The dramatic directional light in this small unusual space would make for a unique dramatic shot! If I had two ice lights I might add the complimentary color blue gelled ice light to contrast her hair or side of face from other side under th car, Perfect for small spaces!